Hoffa begins: "Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will be among friends today when he testifies before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Nearly half the Republican committee members receive funding from the notorious union-busters, Charles and David Koch. Three of the witnesses - including Walker - are supported by the Kochs."

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker at the State Capital in Madison. (photo: Reuters)

Scott Walker and the Koch Brothers

By James P. Hoffa, Reader Supported News

17 April

isconsin Gov. Scott Walker will be among friends today when he testifies before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Walker will present the fiction that he solved a budget problem by stripping government workers of their collective bargaining rights.

We've all heard Walker's fantasies before. They're an attempt to disguise the ugly reality that he's doing the bidding of the billionaires and CEOs who fund his political ambitions. They want two things: more for themselves and less for workers.

The truth is that Scott Walker doesn't have a clue how to create jobs, and he has no intention of doing it.

His fellow Koch-ticians are all in on the game. They won't ask Walker why Wisconsin was projected to have a budget surplus when he took office. It was only after Walker rammed through corporate tax breaks that the budget was projected to be in deficit.

Walker's testimony will be pure political theater, bought and paid for by the Koch brothers.

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We can only hope more will be written about this story, not less. The whole country needs to know what the likes of Scott Walker are doing to "fix" the budget. We're seeing Naomi Klein's shock doctrine being implemented by the GOP.

Mr. Hoffa gives is just one more example of the many reasons why we must abolish ALL private & corporate funding for election campaigns. If all campaigns were financed by the federal, state or local governments, perhaps our legislators would understand whose interests they were elected to defend.

From Canada I wish to say "You have got to be kidding!" Is this guy for freaking real and are you all freaking going to go along with this person and his cronies?Yah I know the Koch Bros. and their ilk want the whole pie but I really think it's time to do more than slap their wrists, it's time for serious slaps upside their heads.

Margo, I assure you that we are not all "going along with this person and his cronies," and I agree that the Koch brothers need to be stopped, but I am curious how you propose we do that? When most of the voters in this country are what I have come to call rhetoric zombies, well, it's going to be difficult to save this situation.

Quick answer for you FfoC: under our current system it won't be done, he11 it can't be done! The banksters have created this fustercluck and the debt of nations, states, counties, cities and individuals capitulates all that collective power to the powerful Banksters, i.e. the Wealthy. Like "W Bush" comes into office with a surplus and within 3-4 years we are in a serious cluster. Likewise, Scott Walker becomes Governor and he throws napalm onto a small grass fire! This is their STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE!!! If they can get someone, or even a whole society, into debt, then they(the WEALTHY) have a de facto slave class without having to provide anything for the slave class! This allows the BIGGEST Banksters to print money with impunity, well they really wouldn't need to print any money, they'd just make their wealth more powerful. Like SUPER-TURBO-CHARGING their POWER! This ain't rocket science. The Middle Class has been destroyed. R.I.P.

They do not need to print money just raise the value of things and walla we have more money. They only need to print money if some one is going to withdraw it from the bank but as long as it remains in the bank it can keep growing and growing and growing. Banks overall do not keep a 1 to 1 ratio of hard currency to value of things. A much smaller percentage of hard currency is ever in circulation with far more money out there that we used to call "on paper" worth.

We are largely a paperless society and even with a gold standard value of things would still go up and the system would only crash when people lose confidence, ie stop buying things, stop pushing paperless money around, ie loans, and/or make real withdrawals of currency.

May People though seem to forget W Bush came to office with a surplus as well as in latter 2001 we went into a recession followed by a 24+ month jobless recovery.

rIGHT ON! Your great country looks more inviting each time I visit there. Ours has become a great disgrace because of these corporate thieves and their shameless lackeys in government. More disgraceful is the public cowardice and apathy that has allowed these fascists to take control. I hope it does not get so bad that you folks close off your borders to us.

The Oath should strike him into reality to speak the truth however, his type do not know the truth.I wonder who are those to counter with proof, stats, People should be aware that this is a dig and pony show nothing more. No concern about any budget, jobs, or medicare, educationThis is to get the next endowment from those with large pockets. If teh Judiciary Committee doesnot see this than Recall and no votes for Judges in next election. Time we start State Boycotts on products..Wisconsin, Iowa, Utah Arizona and more. Let them live within their states with no government help, let them see boycotts and explain the facts to People who will have no business. No more potatoes, cheese, Keep you procducts we don't need them

You have the right idea. BOYCOTT! That has worked before. We need to get a list posted of everything made by predator companies, not just the ones owned by the Krotch Bros. This may be the only way to impel voters in the states they control to rise up and oust them from power. Add Michigan and Ohio to the list controlled by corporate fascists.

You have the right idea. BOYCOTT! That has worked before. We need to get a list posted of everything made by predator companies, not just the ones owned by the Krotch Bros.

Good idea, and here's an article: The Big Three secret funders of the $75 million campaign to trash Democratic candidates http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/node/2624 And here's exactly what you asked for:Here's who is buying America's democracy - http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/node/2603 This article names products. There ARE alternatives!

Until and if this information is widely disseminated many Americans will simply believe in the fabrication that "unions are busting America." I live in Stockton,California...population around 320,000. We have one newspaper and it is owned by The Wall St. Journal which in turn is owned by Rupert Murdoch. I have yet to see ONE article concerning the Koch brothers in this publication. The levers of mass media are almost exclusively in the hands of those who will suppress any negative material concerning "their" interests. Instead, in a county where the average family income is less than 50,000 a year and which continues to vote Republican, many of the residents will either tune in to Fox or tune out entirely. Our "Democratic" representatives, to the best of my knowledge, remain mum on the subject of the Koch's. Ignorance will only be bliss for so long. Trying to wash down the tripe with a "Koch" will eventually reach the masses. We may be Feudal/Third World by then.

Progressive, I think he meant Koch-suckers!! Bill, there has been TONS written about this! Sadly, the national media ignores it, because Murdoch pays them to follow the party line! And Margo, it's hard to slap someone when they own the government, the court system. The only ways left are highly illegal, and result in capitol punishment. All thats left is a complete Revolution, and Americans are too fat and sleepy for that, apparently!!

Appearantly..........we'll see. As far as what is left being highly illegal-if you mean "treason" -that's already been committed by the "elected" officials starting with Bush and Cheney and all others who have violated the Constitution, broken every law in the book to take control of the economy, etc. There are the traitors unless we come out and admit that we are a fascist system, no better than those run by Mussolini and Hitler.

This is UNCONSTUTIONAL. I assume Anthony Weiner or SOMEBODY will raise the question of the legality of the "conflict" of interests. And then it should go before the Supremes who also slept with the Kock Brothers before they ruled corporations can buy our elections.

They don't try murderers in their home towns bc of "this/that" and so --

THERE OUTTA be a law to cover this mess.

DAMN the Stupremes for opening the door to this corruption. Scalia/Thomas--- RESIGN. SHAME ON YOU.

They're grandstanding. They're saying "Yeah--this is what we're doing, we don't give a rat's ass about your problem with it & you can't do anything about it." The GOP has demonstrated that they can and will obstruct when in the minority, so the Democrats need to stand up to the GOP majority in the House and there should be absolutely NO COMPROMISE attempted!

Whoa,this artical has me confused,Walker was before his cronies last week, and we know how that went with Dennis Kucinich.I'm all for grilling this yahoo again, please be more explicit as to what house.

GOOD JOB YOU'R DOING JUNIOR. KNEW YOUR DAD AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOUR FIGHTING FOR YOUR PEOPLE LIKE HE DID. I REMEMBER THE DAY HE DISAPPEARED. KEEP WRITING ABOUT THIS AND HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY, THAT'S 3 TIMES, JUST MAYBE OUR COUNTRY WILL COME BACK TO LIFE THE RIGHT WAY.......

Unfortunately they do not care, people like him are about today not future. The damage will be done, all though it could be undone, I believe it loses something of valueI wish we could all find conflicts of interests, money links directly to them or their families/foundations. Then we can use the good old American Constitution the Right way and if the Justices do not uphold the Laws they can go. Technical difficulties or some such matter. We need a clean sweep, we need it now

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